Ramsey said her team had been monitoring tiger sharks feeding when the legendary great white made her surprise appearance. The divers "spent the entire day with her till the sun went down," Ramsey wrote.

"I waited quietly, patiently, observing as she swam up to the dead sperm whale carcass and then slowly to me," she said. "I gently put my hand out to maintain a small space so her girth could pass."

Ramsey touched the shark as it swam by and, while noting that some divers frown upon this, added that "sometimes sharks seek touch."

The species "are not the mindless monsters they are portrayed as," she said.

But Ramsey later warned people that the creatures can be unpredictable, writing: "I highly discourage people from purposely jumping in the water with great white sharks or tiger sharks." CNN has contacted Ramsey for further comment.